Thanks to Boiled Leather Audio Hour hosts Sean T. Collins and Stefan Stasse, Linda and I spend some time discussing our essay in Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (Order: US, UK) which officially hit shelves on the 26th of June.

Our essay, “The Palace of Love, The Palace of Sorrow: Romanticism in A Song of Ice and Fire”, deals with the way that Martin’s own affinity for and self-identification with the Romanticist movement of the late 18th through the mid 19th centuries makes itself known in the course of the series, coloring many aspects of the story. From the depiction of ruins to Byronic heroes, and with a special focus on recollections of the past by a number of characters, we discuss with Stefan and Sean quite a few related topics. Do check the podcast out, and if you’re interested in the essay collection, make sure to visit the previous installment in which fellow essayist Alyssa Rosenberg of Think Progress joins them to discuss her own essay on depictions of sexual violence in the series.